Video story: step into a desert island wilderness, where conservation work for turtles and birds is delivering heartening, long lasting, results: “Now the fishermen work with us, they help us count the birds instead of killing them. They even adopt turtle nests. It is a big, big change.”

Scientists, including staff from BirdLife International and the Australian National University, have published new research indicating that parrots (Psittaciformes) are among the most threatened groups of bird species, with 28% of extant species (111 out of 398) classified as globally threatened on the IUCN Red List.

A three-year project in Iraq has significantly contributed to knowledge of the country's flora and fauna – including five previously unknown plant species – as well as improving the prospects for future conservation efforts in the country.

In a pioneering study, scientists from the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and BirdLife International have analysed satellite imagery to measure forest loss remotely across the global network of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs).